Just a quick heads-up to let my readers and watchers know that I am still writing and still online!

I went on a quick trip overseas for a couple of weeks, which stalled the next chapter of History Repeats a little, but now I am back home and back on track. The chapter should be done soon.

Your patience is appreciated!

Hello, assorted readers and watchers on the world wide intersquish!

I am once more in a responsive mood, and am opening the floor to questions about my views on FiM Characters, Episodes and Settings, and the art and craft of Fic Writing. By all means, ask and I shall strive to answer.  : )

Well, now!

History Repeats is only a day or two old, and it has gathered several hundred faves, brought me a good dozen-plus new Watchers, and received overwhelmingly positive and/or interested and optimistic responses. What criticism there has been has been detailed and generally constructive (my favourite kind), and the story has now been approved for posting on Equestria Daily.

I could scarcely ask for a better reception with my return to producing new fanfiction, and with my first delving into G1 canon!

Thanks many, MANY times over to my readers, to my watchers, to my commentators, to my supporters, and to my helpful and fantastic fellow authors with whom I so often shoot the breeze and brainstorm.

You all rock.  : )

Hello, fic-reading public!

Contrary to whatever rumours may be circulating after my weeks of relative silence, I am indeed still in the writing game, still highly appreciative of your Watches and your Favourites, and still formulating plans for dramatic, exciting, emotional-turmoil-filled tales!

Like what?

Well, Fanfiction-Reading Strawpony, I'm glad you asked!

Keep your eyes peeled once Season Three is done feeding us all the canon it can, because after that...

I'm going Old School.

Stay tuned!

Okay, so, Wonderbolt Academy.

In my opinion, this episode was entertaining in some ways, but also bothersome in others.

The Flash animation continues to envelope-pushing, and the visuals in this ep were absolutely eye-popping. The flight effects made the forced-3D of this 2D medium more vivid than ever. Also, the supporting cast was colourful and fun, and it was nice to revisit the Wonderbolts and Dash's ambition. Also "kicking tail" is now a canon expression, so there's that too.

HOWEVER, there were still some issues.

Spitfire continues to completely forget who Dash is, despite meeting her on numerous occasions across two seasons. In addition, she was pointlessly drill-sergeant-like for the sake of a "this is a drill sergeant schtick" scene or two. She has previously been presented as confident but laid-back -- more like a SPORTS star than a MILITARY figure. The Wonderbolts seem to be an aerial performance team and possibly disaster response unit, NOT a fighting force. I never saw any combat or weapons training. They don't kill for a living. So what's with all the "LEMME SEE YOUR WAR FACE! RAWWRGH!" stuff? There's only so far you can push the whole Top Gun thing before it damages the plot.

Pinkie was less a free-spirited Pony with her own unique perspective that provides uncanny insights as often as it clashes with others' reality... and more of a Warner Brothers cartoon. Considering the "Duck Season! Wabbit Season!" bit in Putting Your Hoof Down, I am starting to think this is an ongoing issue with Williams' characterization of Pinkie. She was funny, but every second of her zany schtick did nothing but eat up minutes that could have been spent following Dash's story with more depth. The gang could just as easily have visited Dash with the simplest of introductory comments in the balloon: "Dash will be so surprised when we come visit her! I hope her training is going well!" Pinkie is at her best when her antics MATTER somehow, not when she's a diversion from the episode.

Speaking of which... the ending was a dismal disappointment, mainly because THERE WASN'T ONE.

The episode essentially irised-out on a scene that REALLY needed some closure. Is Dash going to be a Wonderbolt now? Is she staying at the Academy? Is Lightning Dust? Is Dust expelled? Demoted? Vengeful? Heartbroken? Repentant? The ending smacked of non-story cartoon nega-continuity, where as of next episode the previous episode vanishes into the ether with the press of a massive Reset Button. With all of the continuity nods this season so far, this episode was a major step backward in storytelling. It's nice Dash showed that Loyalty to Principles can be as important as Loyalty to superiors, but it kinda would have been nice to get a little more detail about how her fondest and possibly ONLY goal in life played out, no?

I liked the concept of this episode, but the writing sadly left a lot to be desired.

All right, so my latest fic is quite the departure from my usual work.

I decided to flex my high-speed creativity muscles a little, and produce some short pieces in MINIMAL time with ZERO pre-planning, working from prompts provided by others moments before I started writing.

One person provides two characters upon which the story will focus, and another provides a setting in which it will take place. One hour later, a short story is complete.

So far, the results of these little mental sprints by myself and the others have been... surprisingly good!

This isn't something I would do all the time, and I certainly have plenty of long-form, planned-out, not-ludicrous fiction in the works, but as an experiment in how quickly I can produce a narrative that makes anything resembling sense, I think this has been very interesting.

Do these short stories make me look like I have finally traded reason for madness?

Do you all actually want to see (gasp) MORE of this sort of thing from me?

Are any of you tempted to try this insanity yourselves, now?

Chimmycherry, or Cherrychanga?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Okay!

So, the third season has well and truly begun, with its first "rank and file" episode after the two-parter.

A review follows!

...Spoilers, by the way.

I was entertained as hell, and despite a couple of "someONE" type writing oopsies, I thought the episode was well-paced and well-written. Pinkie showed some depth as WELL as insanity, nicely exhibiting her child-like yet oddly perceptive "Fool" persona, and Rainbow Dash showed the enjoyment of Pinkie's company she acquired during Season One, and the love of reading she acquired during Season Two.

Twilight remained her analytical, slightly neurotic, every-problem-looks-like-an-OrangeFrog-when-all-you-got-is-a-Horn self, and played off Pinkie(s) well.

AJ said and did things, which is always a plus.

Fluttershy was SHY, not TRAUMATIZED, and had some amusing lines. Her tongue-in-cheek comment about avoiding fun "for Pinkie" was adorable.

And Rarity was... dating Fancy Pants.

I'm sorry but look at the situation: A member of Canterlot's upper crust just HAPPENS to be in town on the same day Rarity gets dressed up in opera gloves, a bustle and an up-do. She stays covered as if wanting to keep her outfit perfectly spotless. And she complains bitterly about the havoc the Pinkies wrought at her place, yet we aren't shown the scene.

CLEARLY, Rarity and Fancy were exchanging bon-mots and witty double-entendres over some bubbly and horse-d'ouvres, and just as they leaned in... FUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUNFUN.  : P

But anyways, I digress.

In summary, I thought this episode was plenty of fun, worth a rewatch, and a good omen for the content still to come.

Well, now!

It seems Malus Maleficarum, my Equestria Daily Nightmare Night horror fiction contest entry, has hit The Top Ten!

I am terribly pleased to be considered in what looks to be roughly the top ten per cent or less of the entries, and now the poll on EQD will decide if I will make the top three.

And so, dear readers, if you check out the finalists and consider mine worthy, I would be extremely appreciative to have your vote on EQD's polling sidebar.

And if not, well, thanks for reading, regardless, and a very happy Nightmare Night to you!  ^__^

UPDATE: I placed a distant 4th. Not ideal, but that *is* out of something like 100 entries, so not too shabby, I suppose!

I have now hit 500 Watchers here on FiMFiction! Huzzah!

Thanks so much, everypony! It seems like only yesterday I was looking forward to making triple digits...

As always, I am extremely grateful to those of you who read and enjoy my work, and I assure you: more is on the way.

Hello, readers!

I would like to take this chance to suggest a few fics to satisfy your reading urges while I work on my next project. These are all by my fellow CG Fanfic Author Panelists, and I think there's something here for everyone:

PONY Legacy by RBDash47 - he may CLAIM he doesn't write, but here's the proof! An interesting crossover with a lot of thought put into it. Definitely worth a look!

The Last Human: A Tale of the Pre-Classical Era by Patchwork Poltergeist. That's right, the author of Somewhere Only We Know is back, gang! This is a crossover/reimagining/inversion of the Last Unicorn, and it rocks.

The Replacements by ROBCakeran53. It's not like the author of a certain cardboard-box-themed megafic needs me to broaden his audience, but I think his OTHER work deserves more attention. This zany and thoroughly meta comedy, for example.

There you go! That should tide you over for a while, no?